Skyscrapers To Trees
by st1114
Summary: *HIATUS* Tris Prior has lived in Chicago all her life - city girl with a happy family. But when her parents are killed in a car crash, and her brother goes off to college, she is left alone... Or is she? Moving to her aunt Tori's farm, will she learn to adjust to the new lifestyle? Follow Tris as she makes friends, and falls in love with the countryside.. and a handsome cowboy.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first fanfic, and I really hope you enjoy it. Expect Fourtris. I don't own the characters, Veronica Roth does!**

The countryside scenery flits past my eyes and all I can see is a green and brown blur. All I can hear is the steady hum of my aunt Tori's truck.

A few months ago, my parents died in a car accident, and my brother Caleb and I were left alone. He's 19, and I just turned 18 at the end of senior year. Caleb decided to start college now, a year late, claiming it's better late than never. Though my brother is an intelligent bookworm, I'm quite the opposite. So, I decided to help out my aunt Tori on her farm, especially since I didn't want to live alone in Chicago with no family.

So here I am, starting off my summer moving from big city Chicago, to a huge farm, near some small town in Wisconsin, to live with my aunt Tori and uncle Amar. It's quite a change in lifestyle, but I guess it's just time for a change.

As the truck pulls in past the gate, I look around and take it all in.

We come to a stop in front of a nice, country-style house, two stories, connected to a fenced area. There are pastures all around us, and I realize the farm is bigger than I thought. Tori turns to me and asks, "You ready?"

"Sure," I say with a half smile on my face. I just have to remember to put the past behind me, and remember I am not lonely. I'm not that great at making friends, but at least I have Tori and Amar.

We walk in, and as I set my bags down, I hear me uncle shout, "There she is!" I smile and go over to hug him, as I haven't seen him in four years. "Look at you, all grown up. You look more and more like your mother."

I offer a small smile, as I hold back the tears. But I fail as a lone tear escapes my eye, and Tori comes up next to me and rubs my shoulder. When I pull myself together, Tori shows me to my room, passing a broken window in the hall, and I start unpacking.

When I'm done, I decide to go for a walk, shouting out to Tori that I'll be back by dinnertime, before I head out the door.

I think I might like it here. The trees are calming, the sun is nice, soon it will set. I walk past the house, through the pastures, and into the woods. I don't stray too far, I don't want to get lost, but I enjoy the serenity here. As I'm walking, I see a small river, with a bridge covered in vines. I stand on the bridge, looking at the stream below, enjoying the soothing sound of flowing water.

After a few minutes, I hear a rustling, and look to where the sound is coming from. And then I see him.

The first thing I notice are his eyes. They are a deep blue, and I could get lost in them forever. He is dripping with sweat, and pulls out his earphones with the same surprised expression as the one on my face.

"Who are you?" he says in a deep, husky voice.

I almost think I can't make an audible reply, but I clear my throat and answer, "My name's Tris. Who are you?"

"Four. What are you doing here? I come by here every day and never see anyone."

"Um… I was just taking a walk. I just moved here."

"Well I know the owner of the farm, and she didn't say anything about someone moving in," he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Well the owner of the farm happens to be my aunt," I snap, a little more irritated now.

"You're Tori's niece?" I nod, collecting myself. "She did mention something about that. Sorry I didn't mean to be rude."

"It's fine," I reply, averting my eyes to the ground.

"Well like I said, I'm Four. It's nice to meet you, Tris," he says, extending his hand. I look up, offer a small smile, and shake his hand. His grip is firm and his hand is callused, but his manliness is just attractive.

"Well it's getting kinda dark, I should head back."

"At least let me walk you," he says, and I swear my face turns red. I'm sure he has a girlfriend, he's too attractive not to, but the gesture's nice.

"Sure." When we start walking, I ask, "So how do you know Tori?"

"She and my mom have been friends since high school."

"She was my mom's sister."

"Was?"

"Yeah, um… My parents died in a car crash in January."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's cool," I cut him off before I start crying here in front of him.

We walk for a while in comfortable silence, when we see the house.

"Come say hi to Tori," I say before he runs off, as he's probably not interested in spending any more time with me. To my surprise, he smiles and nods, and follows me inside.

When we walk in, I yell, "Tori, I'm home!"

"In the kitchen!". We find her making spaghetti, and she smiles when she sees us. "I see you've met Four."

"Yea," I say, glancing at him to find him staring at me. I quickly avert my eyes to the floor and blush.

"Mmm, smells good," says the deep rumble of Four's soothing, attractive voice. Damnit, stop it Tris, he's not into you!

"It's already dark, why don't you stay for dinner?" Tori asks with a smile and a glance at him.

I try to ignore the small flicker of hope in my mind.

"Nah, I shouldn't. My mom is expecting me. I should actually get going."

Knew it.

"Ok, well at least tell me you didn't forget about the barbecue this weekend…" Tori gave Four a pointed look while smiling slightly.

"Uh… I'll tell mom and Addie when I get home," he quickly said and smiled nervously. Tori laughed and shook her head, "Go on, get outta here."

Four turned to me and smiled, "It was nice meeting you… once again sorry for being rude earlier."

"No worries, I replied, smiling back.

"Seeya girls, say hi to Amar for me and tell him I'll stop by tomorrow for Cherry."

"Sure thing," Tori says. As he walks out of the kitchen, we both yell a "bye!" and he shuts the door. Tori immediately gives me a smug smile, and I roll my eyes and go in the other room to set the table for dinner.

After feeling very full from the giant plate of spaghetti, I head up to bed and call it a day… and interesting day.

 **A/N: Please review, I'd love to receive some feedback! Also, I don't have an updating schedule yet, but Chapter 2 should be up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Here's the next chapter and it's a bit longer. :) Characters belong to Veronica Roth.**

I wake up to the sound of a rooster somewhere – god I hate that about farms – and see the sun barely rising. I look over at my clock and see that it's half past five. I know I won't be able to fall asleep again, so I change, grab my boots, and head downstairs.

I pass by the broken window on my way down. I dislike the sight of it. Apparently a recent storm drove a tree branch through it, and it just scares me to think of thunderstorms that will happen here. We didn't have broken windows in Chicago! I shake my head and keep walking.

I don't see that anyone is up yet, so I take an apple from the kitchen, and go outside.

I climb up over a fence, and find myself in a field, with tall grass and wildflowers. I stay for a moment, enjoying the breeze and rising sun, when I spot another barn-like building in the distance.

When I reach it, I see that it's actually horse stables, with several amazing horses. As I am walking, I see the most beautiful horse I've ever seen. She's dark brown, like pine wood, or a rich dark chocolate. Her mane is a light brown color, similar to peanut butter. Oddly, she has the most interesting green eyes.

I reach up to touch her snout, hesitantly, and she meets me in the middle.

In the spur of the moment, I decide to take her out for a ride. Since I used to attend Tori's riding camp every summer, and she recently said anything on the farm is also mine now, I decide it's ok.

I saddle her up and everything, and take her out to the field.

When I'm done having some fun, I go back to the stables, bringing the horse in by the reigns, to see Four standing in awe. "What?" I say as I get the horse situated in the stable.

"How did you take out Cherry?"

"I just did…?" I state in confusion.

"She's not used to people. She's new and has barely let anyone touch her. And here you show up and _ride_ her."

I am surprised. "She's really sweet. Are you serious?" He nods his head and I smile. "Cool." I walk past him to grab a carrot and give it to Cherry.

Four just shakes his head smiling and says, "Amazing," before heading to feed the other horses.

For some reason, that comment makes my heart flutter, but I try to ignore it. When I finish feeding Cherry, I start to head back to the house.

When I walk in, I find Tori in the kitchen with a little girl with brown hair. "Hi," I say with a big smile.

"Did you see Four?"

"Yea," I reply.

"Doesn't she look just like him?" Tori asks, smiling down at the little girl.

I immediately stop and my heart drops. It never occurred to me that Four could have a… kid. "Who is this little cutie?" I say in a higher voice with a fake smile.

"Addie, Four's little sister."

It is like all the gods have heard my negative thoughts and decided to spare me, because Four may or may _not_ have a kid, or even a girlfriend. _Maybe_. I smile when Tori says, "This is Tris," and Addie replies with, "Hi Twis!".

After playing with Addie for about half an hour, Tori goes to the living room with her, and I go up for a shower.

I take a nice cold shower, which is refreshing after sweating outside earlier. When I finish, I shut the water off and wrap a towel around my body. I step out of the bathroom to walk down the hallway to my room, and stop dead in my tracks.

There stands a sweaty, shirtless Four, working on fixing the broken window.

When he hears the bathroom door, he turns to me and his eyes widen. We both let our wide eyes roam each others' _revealing_ bodies, before he clears his throat and turns away.

"Um… sorry," he mutters, sounding quite affected by the situation, but maybe I'm just imagining it. I quickly go to my room and shut the door behind me. I stand for a moment, leaning against the door, thinking about what just happened.

All I can think is wow. His muscles. His abs. His tan skin. He is so attractive. And then I think about me. He must've looked away because who would want to look at me? I'm practically built like a twelve year old. Short. Small boobs. I know I'm not ugly, but I am _not_ pretty.

I sigh and go get dressed.

I spend half the day reading books, even drawing a little. I know I'm not lonely because I'm lucky to have Tori and Amar, and now Four and Addie. But it's not the same without my old friends. I was never good at making friends, but I often miss my old life in Chicago.

I finish my current doodle, which was actually Cherry, and close my sketchbook. I decide to head downstairs to have a snack, since I didn't really have lunch.

When I get downstairs, I see Tori outside playing in the flowers with Addie, while Amar is actually gardening by the house. I notice that Four's not with them, and find myself wondering where he's off to this time.

I open the fridge to grab a yogurt, and when I turn around I nearly drop my yogurt at the sight of Four leaning at the door of the kitchen smiling at me. "You need to stop popping up everywhere," I say, trying – and failing – to hide a smile.

He chuckles, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you… again." At this he starts laughing, and I find it hard to stop myself, too. "I was just wondering if you wanted to meet some of my friends. They come here often too, and now that you're here, they want an introduction."

"Oh. Ok," I reply with a smile. I'm glad I can make some friends my age, as I don't really know many people here. I follow him out to the barn where I see to dark-skinned boys, one a bit older than the other, whistling to some dogs. I then see a girl with dark hair, running towards us.

"Oh my gosh, Four, you didn't tell us how pretty she is!" the girl says, nearly tackling me in a hug. Four and I laugh a bit. "I'm Christina! It's so nice to finally meet you!"

"I'm Tris," I say with a smile. She's pretty straight forward, but she seems like a lot of fun.

The two boys come up to us, one clapping a hand on my shoulder saying, "Hey Tris, I'm Uriah and this is my idiot brother Zeke." Zeke lunges towards Uriah, and puts him in a headlock.

I laugh, and glance up at Four, who is smiling at the situation. "Well it's nice to meet you all," I genuinely say. It's really great to make new friends, and everyone here is so nice.

We end up all having dinner on the porch out back, and I learn a lot more about everyone.

After saying goodbye my new friends, Four, and the adorable Addie, I head up to my room for some well deserved sleep.

I wake up to my phone vibrating. I glance at the time, which is almost nine this morning. I have a text from an unknown number, which has me confused until I open it.

 _F: Hey, it's Four. You wanna hangout with some more friends tonight?_

I smile and reply.

 _T: And how exactly did you get my number?_

 _F: Oh you know, I AM the Number Man. ;P_

 _F: Tori gave it to me._

I laugh at his stupid joke and continue.

 _T: Haha, very punny. But sure, sounds good._

 _F: We're goin to a cabin. Pick you up at 7?_

Even though I know it's not a date, I can't help but feel the butterflies.

 _T: Sure. :)_

 **A/N: The next chapter is already in the making, so it should be up soon. It's basically their night at the cabin. Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the next chapter guys! Btw - please note - I'm on a "update when the next chapter's ready" schedule. Sorry!**

 **I only own my ideas. Enjoy!**

When six o'clock rolls around, I start to get ready. I dress casually and apply just a little makeup – mascara especially – since it _is_ just a hangout with a group of friends.

When I'm finished, I grab my combat boots and leather jacket, and check my phone. There are no texts, but then I hear the doorbell.

I run down, passing a smirking Tori – to which I just roll my eyes – and open the door. I take in the sight of a handsome Four, and he smiles. "Ready?"

I nod, and we head over to his old, blue truck. I'm short, and he laughs at my slight struggle to get in. "Shut up! I can't help it I'm short!" I defend, failing to hide the smile that creeps up to my face. This just encourages him, and he laughs more. I like his laugh. We both end up laughing for a couple of minutes, before he finally calms down and starts the truck.

We arrive at a nice sized log cabin, surrounded by trees. I like that it's not too far from the farm, but it is slightly isolated.

We walk up to the door, and after Four knocking, it swings open to show several smiling faces. We walk in with a bunch of greetings, and I recognize Christina, Uriah, and Zeke.

I am introduced to Uriah's girlfriend, Marlene, who is a beautiful blonde, and Zeke's girlfriend, dark haired kinda like Christina. There is a blonde, shaggy haired boy named Will, whom Christina enthusiastically introduces, and I feel like she may have a slight crush on him. I smile at the thought.

I notice that if Four had a girlfriend, she is not here… but why? I shake my head. Maybe she's out of town or something. Yep. That's it.

I sit on the couch with Four to my right and Christina to my left. Everyone sits in sort of a circle around the room, and we spend an hour or two just talking. It really makes me happy to have this many great new friends here.

"Ooh! I have an idea!" shouts Marlene, "We should play Candor or Dauntless!"

Everyone shouts out forms of a yes, while I sit there confused, "Um… what's that?"

I swear half of them look at me like I'm crazy, Four just chuckles, and Christina says, "You don't know? Oh, it's soo much fun. It's basically truth or dare. If you don't do something, you have to take off an article of clothing."

I smile, "Cool, I'll play then."

And so the game begins.

Zeke decides to start. "Four dude, candor or dauntless?"

"Um… candor. I don't trust your dares."

I laugh, and Zeke fakes looking offended. "Who do you like?"

Four just takes his jacket off, and my head starts to spin. If he didn't like anybody, he would've just said so. So he does. But if he had a girlfriend, he would've just said her. So he doesn't… He likes someone here?

"Will, candor or dauntless?"

"Dauntless."

"Kiss the girl you think is most attractive."

He seems to think about this for awhile, probably debating whether or not he should actually do this. How the girl would feel if he did. Then he gets up, walks over, and kisses Christina! She seems surprised for a bit, but then kisses back before they pull apart. They just smile as Will goes back to his seat, and the other girls are just saying "awws."

I smile. I'm sure they'll get together sometime soon.

"Tris, candor or dauntless?"

"Uh, candor."

"PANSYCAKE!" screams Uriah, and I hear several people to tell him to shut up.

I laugh, "Is that supposed to be an insult?"

Four just shakes his head, "Yea, it's apparently an old, stupid one," he gives Uri a pointed look when he says stupid.

Will continues, "Why did you move here to Wisconsin? From Chicago, right? Big change."

I suddenly get a bit sad. I knew I would have to tell them eventually, but I try not to ruin the mood. Then I feel Four's hand on my shoulder. "Hey, you don't have to tell them."

I try to smile at his effort.

"Wait, you know?" says Christina.

I nod and say, "It's ok, I'd have to eventually." I take a deep breath. "My parents died in a car accident. And my brother went off to college, so I came to live with aunt Tori." I look up and see everyone staring at me, with sad looks on their faces.

Christina rubs a hand on my back, saying, "We're sorry Tris."

I'm glad I have supportive friends now. "It's ok. Uri, candor or dauntless?" I try to blink away tears and smile again.

"Dauntless!" he yells, earning a round of laughter from everyone.

After playing several more rounds for about an hour, all of the guys are shirtless, Zeke and Will are pantless, Marlene and Chris are shirtless, and Shauna and I are down to tank tops.

"Ok I think that's enough, I'm pretty tired," says Christina, resulting in a round of grunts in agreement. We decide to just sleep in the cabin, since it's a bit past midnight already. After Four texts Tori and his mom, we get ready to sleep.

The two couples take the two bedrooms, Chris and I each take a couch, and Will and Four both sleep on the floor near us. I'm pretty tired so I fall asleep quickly, thinking about the wonderful night, and thinking about the wonderful Four.

I wake up to the sun streaming in. I laugh a little at Will's snoring, and smile at the fact that his hand is _really_ close to Christina's dangling one. I roll over to look at Four, and I am met with a pair of deep blue eyes staring at me.

"Mornin'," he quietly says with a smile.

"Morning," I smile back. I get up and stretch out since the couch is pretty uncomfortable. I notice Four staring at my exposed midriff and quickly put my arms down.

Trying to hide my blush, I head towards the kitchen. I grab some orange juice, hoping Uri and Zeke won't mind (their mom owns the cabin), when Four comes in shortly after. I notice that he is still shirtless, and find it hard not to look at his toned torso.

I quickly look away at the floor, and after smiling smugly, he reaches past me to grab some juice as well.

I look up at his eyes, and we stare at each other for a moment, before Zeke clears his throat and walks in.

"Mornin' you two. Sleep well?" he says, sipping on some juice with a huge smirk. All he gets is a few "mhmms," before more people start piling in the kitchen. Phew.

After waving goodbye to everyone, I get in Four's truck with a bit more ease, and he starts the engine. "I'm glad I got to meet more of your friends. They're really nice and fun."

He smiles that handsome smile. "Glad you like them. They're pretty fond of you too, ya know." He glances at me.

I laugh a little.

We spend most of the ride in silence. Not an awkward silence, but a comfortable one. Not to mention the scenery of all the trees is just beautiful. Very different from Chicago. Very.

 **A/N: Next chapter is in progress! Please review, I accept any kind of criticism - I need to know how to improve, or if I should keep writing at all. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! I am so, so sorry I've been gone for a while. School started, and it's been really hard to keep up with school and the story. I'll try harder to write when I can and upload ASAP.**

 **BTW, this is an extra long chapter as an apology. Enjoy this chapter, about that barbecue Tori mentioned earlier.**

I wake up Saturday morning to the blaring of my alarm.

After shutting it off, I look at the time and see it's 9 in the morning. I have a hard time getting up because yesterday, I spent all day in town with Tori. We went shopping for some food for the barbecue today, and even a bit of clothes for us.

As much as I love shopping, coming home late after a whole day of it can be exhausting.

I get up and get ready for the barbecue, putting in a little extra effort. The whole gang is coming, as well as their parents – who are apparently great friends of Tori and Amar – and of course, Addie and Four.

Even though the barbecue is around lunch time, I woke up to go help Tori and Amar set up.

I lay the last bowl of salad on the table, and go over to Amar on the barbecue for the last bit of hot dogs. There are two large picnic tables set up, now covered with all kinds of delicious food.

I step back to look at the finished product, when I hear the doorbell. "I'll get it!" I yell.

When I open the door, I see Christina and her mom, looking fabulous as always, carrying a pie. "Hi!" I exclaim, while hugging her, happy to see her. Christina and I have become really great friends, and she's probably my best friend out of the group.

After leading them to the back, they greet Tori and Amar and place the pie on the table. It's not long before I hear the doorbell again, and when I go to open the door, I am met with a pair of deep blue eyes. I smile.

"Twis!" I hear, as Addie let's go of Four's hand and runs to me.

"Hi there, Addie! You look beautiful," I say, picking her up. She is wearing the cutest yellow dress.

"So you're the famous Tris. I've been looking forward to meeting you. I'm Evelyn," says Four's mom, extending her hand.

I shake her hand and give a weird look to Four. Famous? Does he talk about me? Or maybe she just knows Tori well.

I lead them to the yard and put down Addie. I smile. Today's gonna be a fun day.

About an hour later, the gang is sitting on one of the picnic tables, while the parents are sitting on the other. We're all laughing at Uriah, trying to stuff 4 hot dogs in his face. I shake my head and try to control my laughter.

When he finally manages to eat and swallow them properly, we fall into a pleasant conversation.

Later, we decide to play never have I ever.

"Ok, since our parents are right over there, I think we should stick to non-alcoholic beverages," Shauna advises, bringing the jug of lemonade. We all laugh, and she starts to pour cups for everyone.

"Does everyone know how to play?" asks Marlene. I nod, I played this with some of my friends back in Chicago. You say 'never have I ever…' and in the group, whoever has done what is said, has to drink a sip of alcohol. Or in this case, lemonade.

"We'll go around in a circle. I'll start," says Zeke. "Never have I ever gone by a nickname."

I take a sip, and so does Four.

"Never have I ever… eaten four hotdogs at once," Shauna says, trying to contain her laughter.

Uriah takes a sip and we all burst out laughing.

"Never have I ever crushed on someone younger," continues Marlene.

I try to rack my brain for possible crushes, but they don't fit the category. I glance around the circle and see that Will, Uriah, Zeke, and… Four take a sip. I understand, all of their girlfriends are slightly younger than them. But Four?

Will's voice snaps me out of it. "Never have I ever… been into fashion?" he says, for lack of a better idea.

Christina takes a sip right away, followed by Shauna and Marlene. I awkwardly sit there, because I'm really not into fashion. I shouldn't take a sip but I don't wanna be viewed as 'masculine' or something.

"TRIS?!" yells Christina, earning a few weird looks from the adults.

Too late.

"What?" I reply coyly.

"You are a girl! Take a freakin sip!" she says, slightly quieter. Slightly.

I look down at my clothes. "But I'm really not that girly," I say, and Uriah laughs. Four is just looking at me smiling. Don't know what that's about.

"Eh, who cares. Let's just keep playing," says Zeke.

"I'LL GO!" Uriah yells. My friends are great, I laugh quietly to myself. "Never have I ever… gotten a speeding ticket."

Zeke takes a sip and says, "That's not fair! You don't have a car. You haven't even been out of town!"

"I have a truck… no speeding tickets," casually says Four. We all laugh, as Zeke gives Four a threatening look.

We play for awhile, but eventually run out of things to say. For now…

After we finish playing Never Have I Ever, the parents gradually leave with their children, until it's just me, Christina, Four, and Will. Christina gets up for a minute to say goodbye to Will and his family as they're leaving, and I give her a wink and a smile. She just rolls her eyes, but I see a smile forming on her lips. "They are so getting together soon," I say, turning back to Four.

He chuckles, "Yea, it sure seems like it."

I laugh and look at Addie balancing on the picnic bench.

"We'll be the last singles in our group."

My head snaps toward him. I really wish he would stop hinting at things that will never happen. I bet he knows I like him, and is just messing with my head. Wait… I like him? But why would a guy like him ever like a girl like me?

"Tris! Help me put away the leftovers, would'ya? Christina, hun you too?" yells Tori from across the yard. "Oh Four, could you help Amar clean up?".

"Sure thing, Tori!" he yells back as we go off in different directions. As soon as I get into the kitchen with some plates, Christina asks "What's up with you and Four?"

"Believe me when I tell you I have no idea," I reply, earning a scoff and a laugh when I slap her arm. "What about you and Will?"

"What about me and Will?" she responds, and I give her a look that says "you know what." She sighs, "Fine. I maybe… kinda… like him," she says almost inaudibly.

"I knew it!" I exclaim, "I think he likes you too," I say a bit quieter.

"Really?" her face lights up. "Wait, how do you know? You've known us for like 2 weeks."

"I can tell. The way he looks at you, and you guys are always talking. I think you guys make a cute couple," I tell her as she looks at her feet and tries to hide her smile.

I find myself looking over at Four. He and Amar are moving a picnic table from one side of the backyard to the other. His toned muscles peek through his shirt.

Christina breaks me out of my reverie. "You are totally into him."

"That obvious?" I sigh.

"No. But I think I know you."

I decide to mock her a bit. "How do you? You've known me for like 2 weeks."

"Ha, ha," she says sarcastically.

I roll my eyes and look back at Four.

"By the way, he's totally into you too.

I quickly look at her again. "What? What makes you think so?"

"Please. You're not that obvious, but he is. We all know him and his hard exterior. He's only had one real girlfriend some years ago and she was a bitch. It's only Zeke trynna set him up on dates."

"And why would he be into me?" I interject.

"You're a real catch, Tris! Trust me, he smiles whenever you're around. That's rare. He has problems with his dad, and he hasn't really been happy for awhile."

I smile a bit to myself, I really didn't realize the effect I had on him. But I'm still not sure. "Wait, problems with his dad?"

"He doesn't really talk about it. I've known him for years, and he hasn't opened up much. I've known him for years and we still aren't as close as you two."

I blush a little.

"Tris, I'm sure he'll tell _you_ when he's ready."

I nod and finish saran wrapping leftovers. I wonder about Four. Seems I'm not the only one with a troubled past.

After a while, Christina and her family leave, and Tori and Evelyn are chatting outside.

I go to wash my hands in the kitchen. Four startles me with his deep "hey" and I jump a little.

He laughs a bit. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he says, but keeps laughing.

I try and fail to hide my smile, and hit him on the arm. This only encourages him to keep laughing.

I dry my hands with the dish towel on the stove handle, but when I go back I slip. Clumsy me. Apparently I spilled water because I was messing around while washing hands.

Four catches me right before I fall, and my face reddens from embarrassment and because of his strong grip around me. All joking around, and even breathing has stopped. It's as if time itself has stopped. We stare into each other's eyes, until Addie comes into the kitchen.

"Twis!" she runs towards me, and we let go of each other. I try to clear my head but fail.

I put on a smile and pick her up, but my thoughts are racing. I bet it's obvious I like him, despite Christina's reassurance.

"Let's get you to your momma." I don't look back at Four. If I did, my face would turn into a tomato again.

 **A/N: Please review! You have no idea how nice it is to receive feedback (good or bad)! The next chapter is actually done, and I'll upload it within the next few days. Promise!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. It's also a bit longer than usual. Enjoy :)**

The next several days, I spend enjoying the farm. One morning after feeding the chickens, I go out to ride Cherry. After greeting her and saddling her up, I take her to the field to practice jumps and such.

About 2 hours pass by, and I'm just about to jump the biggest hurdle yet. I take off with Cherry, get ready, and jump when it's time. I close my eyes for a second, but open them when I feel her feet hit the ground. We made it. I smile and let out a sigh of relief and accomplishment. That's when I notice I hear clapping. When I turn around, I see Four sitting atop Dixon, another brilliant horse, smiling back and applauding my jump. I start towards him with Cherry. "Nice riding, Tris. You're getting pretty good."

"Well I sure hope so. I've been practicing every day," I reply.

"You wanna race?" he asks.

I smirked. "You sure you're up for the competition?"

"Oh hun, I can beat you with my eyes closed."

At the sound of him calling me 'hun', I suddenly feel the butterflies. I just clear my throat and follow him to the 'start line' next to some hay bales. "Ready," I start.

"set," he continues.

"GO!" I yell and take off. It's only a matter of seconds before he catches up to me, and for the rest of the race we don't fluctuate much. At the end, we immediately start with the "I won!" and the "No, I won!"

"Nuh uh,"

"Ok it was a tie," he claims.

I sighed. "Ok, fine," I relented, holding back a smile.

"Hey, wanna go grab a drink up at the house?" asks Four.

I can't fight the smile anymore. "Sure," I reply, and we start out way towards the stables. When I finish feeding Cherry and Four secures Dixon, we slowly walk up to the house.

"So, you really are getting better on Cherry. I'm impressed at how fast you tamed and trained her," he says.

I smile and reply, "Yeah, when I first got here I didn't think I'd get used to this kind of life. But it's only been a week and I'm already adjusted. I can really see myself sticking around here for a while."

"Good. Life's more interesting with you around."

I immediately widen my eyes at that statement. I try to cover up my shock by saying, "Why? Enjoy seeing a clueless city girl try to adjust?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

I give him a look, but eventually just smile and nod. He bumps my shoulder and fills the growing silence with, "Race you to the house!" and takes off running. I grown and shout, "Cheater!" and start running after him.

By the time we reach the house, I am nearly caught up to him. We burst out laughing and struggle to catch our breath. We go inside and are met with Tori raising her eyebrows at us. "What's so funny?" she asks.

"Oh nothing, just the fact that we're practically 2 year olds," I answer.

"Actually, just Tris is a 2 year old. She couldn't even catch up to me," he smugly as he starts towards the kitchen.

"What?! You took off and I wasn't ready!" I exclaim, he starts laughing and I follow after him. But before I do, I catch a glimpse of Tori smiling… or smirking… wonder what that's all about.

I see Four in front of the open fridge, leaning on it (looking pretty sexy, of course), wondering what to get. I reach past him and grab the pitcher of lemonade. I feel him staring at me and glance up at him. He gives me a weird look. "What?" I ask.

"Nothing." He smiles, closes the fridge, and grabs a couple of glasses. I pour us some lemonade and start sipping. "Hey did you find that book I asked you about?".

"Oh yeah," I remember he asked me a couple of days ago. "It's in my room."

We walk up to my room, and I instantly regret not cleaning it earlier. It's too late now anyways, but calm down Tris, it's not that bad. I grab The Maze Runner and hand it to him. (A/N: Shout out to the Maze Runner fans!)

"Is this you?" he asks, pointing to an old picture on my desk, as he takes the book. I smile and nod looking at the old photo of 4 year old me and my mom at Disney. "And… your mom?" he asks reluctantly.

I try not to cry, I really do. But every day I struggle to hold back the tears, and it keeps getting harder to hold it in. There are too many tears to hold in anymore. I didn't want to cry in front of Four, but a few stray tears fall.

"Tris, I'm sorry," he says as he puts the book down and wraps his arms around me. I don't know what to feel right now, but I do know that I feel safe in his arms. He's warm and muscular, and I never want him to let me go.

We stay like that for a couple of minutes, before we both pull back a little. We stare into each other's eyes; the need to kiss each other intensifies.

Right as I am about to rise on my tippy toes, since he is so tall, Tori calls that it's time for lunch.

We both sigh, let go, and glance at each other. We both smile a bit, before he grabs the book and we head downstairs. Apparently, Tori made chicken sandwiches while we were upstairs.

"Oh sweetie, are you ok? You look like you've been crying," she asks.

"I'm fine," I reply tersely, and glance up at Four. He catches my gaze, but I immediately avert my eyes.

In the afternoon, Tori and Amar need to run some errands, and we do some chores around the house and farm.

As 5 o'clock rolls by, we finish everything and jump on the couch out of exhaustion. Four speaks up first with, "You wanna play some video games?".

"You know I'm always up for competition," I smirk. "Wait, Tori has video games?".

"Yup. We can play Call of Duty. Oh, you probably won't want to play that."

"What, think a girl doesn't play video games? CoD is my favorite," I say confidently.

His eyebrows shoot up. "Ok then," he cautiously replies, getting up to put the disc in the PlayStation 3 I never knew existed here.

We play steady for a while, until I go on a shooting streak directed at him. He fakes being emotionally hurt, while I just laugh.

He grabs my controller out of my hands, and I try to grab it back. We pretty much wrestle for it, and somehow he ends up holding it above his head. I tried to jump to get it, but he is too tall and I am the height of a 12 year old.

We're laughing and fighting for the controller one minute, and breathing heavily, looking into each other's eyes the next.

In the heat of the moment, I lean up and kiss him.

At first I think "what the hell am I doing," but I am surprised when he kisses me back. He brings his arms around my waist, and we share such a sweet, mild kiss.

He pulls back and we smile at each other. The moment is gone when there's a knock at the door.

We let go of each other, and Four goes to the door. I straighten out my hair and see that Tori stands at the door holding several brown bags of groceries. Probably since most of our food was gone from the barbecue a couple of days ago.

She comes in and sets the many groceries on the kitchen counter. I make eye contact with Four, and he gives me a small smile. Tori comes out in the hallway again, saying "I'm about to make dinner. You're welcome to stay."

Four replies with, "Thanks, but mom is expecting me home. I really should be getting back."

My gaze falls to the floor. He definitely regrets kissing me if he wants to get away so badly.

"Aww, alright hun. At least help Amar get the rest of these groceries in."

"Of course," he responds with a smile, before heading out the door.

I look up and see Tori smirking at me. "What?" I ask, starting to put groceries away.

"I'm not an idiot," she gives me a look.

But I keep avoiding her eyes and say, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh, ok Tris."

I look up and stop what I'm doing when I hear what Tori says next.

"He's a nice young man, hun. You'll be good for each other." And she left the room.

I just stood there, in the kitchen with my mouth slightly open, until Four and Amar come in with more bags. "Close your mouth, Tris, you'll catch flies," says Amar.

I close it immediately as they set the bags down.

"You okay?" asks Four.

I nod and say, "Yea, I think I'm just tired. I'm gonna go to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight, Tris."

"Night," I smile weakly. I head upstairs and get ready for bed. I have a hard time sleeping, so I draw until my eyes begin to droop.

My dreams are filled with the one guy in my life that gives me such mixed feelings.

 **A/N: Remember to leave a review, it helps me write! The next chapter is in the making and will be up as soon as it's done.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the next chapter! I know, I know, a bit of a shortie. But I kind of had one giant chapter, so I had to split it in two. Disclaimer - I don't own any of the stores mentioned.**

I wake up to my phone ringing. I rub my eyes and check the time, seeing that it's almost 10 in the morning. I contemplate staying in bed all day, but I decide to answer.

"Hello?" I say groggily, and am cut off by Christina's yelling.

"Tris?! Are you still sleeping?"

"Not anymore," I roll my eyes.

"Well get up, we're going shopping!" she says too excitedly.

I groan, "But it's an hour's drive and I don't even like shopping."

"Then just come to hang out, everyone's going," she says.

Oh great. Four. There goes my sanity for today.

"Shauna's birthday's next week, we need dresses!" she yells in my ear.

I sigh. "Fine, I'll go." I need to get out of the house, or I know I'll just lie around all day.

She squeals. "Be ready in half an hour!"

I get out of bed and take a quick shower. I put on a black tank top and some denim shorts. I put on a little bit of mascara, so that I don't look like a zombie. I grab my crossbody and head downstairs.

"Tori?" I shout.

"In here, hun!"

I follow her voice to the living room, where she's reading the newspaper. Add to the list of things I have trouble adjusting to here.

"Christina and everyone are coming to pick me up in a bit. We're heading to town to do some shopping."

"Shopping?" she asks, "Ok. Be back before dinner."

"Sure," I say, just as I hear a honk outside. "Bye Tori!"

"Bye sweetie, have fun!" she replies.

I grab my black boots and head out. I see Uriah and Zeke's SUV – Zeke is driving and Four's in the front seat.

Zeke honks the car horn and yells, "Dayum girl!" earning a slap on the head from Shauna, and a small laugh from Four. He's just staring at me as I walk towards the car, and now I feel extremely self conscious… but then again, when do I not?

Not 10 minutes in, Zeke and Uriah are arguing about the radio. Marlene and Shauna sigh and roll their eyes. Will and Four put earphones in, while Christina and I just look at each other.

"So I heard, from Zeke and Shauna, that Four spent the whole day with you yesterday," she says quietly. Wow news travels fast.

"Umm, yea," I reply, earning a pointed look with raised eyebrows.

"Oh come on, spill."

I sigh, "We just went riding, did some chores, and played videogames. Nothing to spill."

She gives me another look, "Tris… come on,"

I look at her for a few seconds, but when the staring contest is over, I relent. It has been turning in my mind for a day, I need to talk to her. "Fine. We, um… we were fighting over a controller, and… we, um… we kissed," I say almost inaudibly.

"WHAT?!" she yells so loudly, Zeke and Uriah stop arguing, and Four and Will take out their earphones. I close my eyes and whisper to myself, "Oh god."

"The hell?" asks Uriah, and everyone in the car looks at us expecting some sort of explanation for Christina's outburst. I give her a look that says, "keep your freakin' mouth shut," and thankfully, she listens.

"Nothing, nothing," explains Christina. Everyone goes back to what they were doing with "mhmm" and "whatever."

But she doesn't leave it at that. She whisper yells at me to give details, and we go down the long road of gossip. Fun.

After a long, interesting car ride, we finally pull into town, and I look around. Lovely shops everywhere, I love it because it's more like home. I've only been to town a few times, with Tori.

We get to the mall parking lot and one by one get out of the car. When I get out, I give Four another glance, but look away before anyone sees. I don't really know where our relationship lies, so I just want to get my mind off of him.

"Where to first?" asks Will.

"Ooh, follow me!" yells Christina.

When the girls start to enter a Victoria's Secret, I abruptly stop. "Uh uh, not goin' in there," I say.

"Triiiiiiis," Christina whines, while Zeke and Uriah just laugh. I look at Marlene and Shauna's puppy dog faces, and sigh the loudest sigh you've ever heard.

"Fine. But be quick."

Christina squeals again, and hugs me so hard my stomach hurts. We walk in, even with the guys, because pretty much each of them is with their girlfriend… except for Four.

After looking around for a couple of minutes, a beautiful black lace bra is put in my hands. "Try this on," says Christina.

I give her a look, but she returns a death stare. We go to the change rooms and she stands outside the door. "Come out when you're done, I wanna see it."

As soon as I come out in a bra and the pants I was wearing, Four comes saying, "Hey guys, the others said-" but stops when he sees me.

I look at him in shock for a few seconds, before I realize I'm exposed and quickly go back in the change room and close the door. I take deep breaths and hear Four's deep voice again. He clears his throat and says, "The others wanna get Chinese food. Meet you at the front in 10."

I hear his footsteps get quieter as he walks away, followed by Christina's banging on the door to let her in. I open the door and she runs in and closes it. "Oh my god!" she exclaims.

My face is tomato red, which Christina doesn't fail to point out. "I can't believe that just happened. Oh my gosh you're blushing."

"Yeah no kidding!" I kind of freak out.

"He was totally checking you out!" she says, a bit too loudly. I sigh close my eyes, then tell Christina to get out so I can change.

I meet her at the register, black bra in hand, while she's buying about 6 things. "Hey," she smiles, "let me buy that for you."

I look down at the bra. It is beautiful but… "I have no use for overly fancy undergarments."

"I think you do," she winks and takes it out of my hand. Then she whispers to me, "You'll thank me later."

When we walk out to find the others, I try the best I can not to look at Four. We go to the Chinese restaurant in the food court, and I swear we order enough food to feed an army.

I sit between Christina and Marlene, with thoughts of Four once again racing through my head.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it," says Marlene, after Christina explains to her what happened.

"I know right? He was totally checking her out!"

I stare at my food and say absolutely nothing - despite the fact that their conversation is starting to irritate me. I don't even glance at Four, not taking any chances.

After lunch, we head into several clothing stores, and of course later on we go to Lush. **(A/N: yasss)** We come out of the mall with quite a few bags, though most of them are Christina and Marlene's.

We pile back up in the car, when my friends do an evil thing.

I am pushed to the back with Four and Shauna, but Four is in the middle. I am forced to sit through and hour car ride, next to the ever-so-confusing Four. Fantastic.

I stare out the window for a while and find myself drifting off to sleep.

 **A/N: I have the next chapter pretty much done, but here's a bit of a heads up for afterwards. Over Christmas break I'll have time to write a lot more, but I'll be in the mountains without service/wifi. :( So I'll be posting more in January. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Ok guys, so I know this is extremely late and I apologize so so much. I lost my log-in information and I SUCK at remembering log-in's. Luckily I figured it out, but I'm sorry it took so long. Also, this chapter is kind of short because it was a continuation of the previous chapter (I split a biggie it in two).**

I wake up but keep my eyes closed because it's too bright. I feel I'm resting my head on something hard, yet warm, and that's when I hear the voices.

"Aw, they're adorable!" says Marlene, after Shauna's "Oh my gosh."

"Shut up, you'll wake them," says Zeke, and I realize what I'm leaning on.

Four's shoulder.

I feel it move up and down, and I'm assuming he's sleeping too. I'm way too tired and groggy to comprehend what's going on, so I just begin to fall asleep again.

The next time I wake up, I actually wake up.

I open my eyes to see an empty car and that it's already night time. I lift my head and see that Four is still sleeping. He looks so vulnerable and child-like when he's asleep. It's so different when he's awake – rigid, but always extremely handsome. Oh god, I have to stop.

I try to make my way to the front of the car, to unlock the car from the switch on the driver's door. I have a difficult time jumping over seats, and when I make it to the front, I slip and honk the horn.

"Shit," I say to myself, hoping to have not woken up Four. Clumsy me.

I look to Four as he wakes up and realizes his surroundings. When he looks at me, I apologize for waking him up.

"It's fine, needed to get up anyways."

He stretches his arms, showing off his very toned muscles, cue for me to look away.

I flip the switch to unlock the doors, and eventually we get out of the car. I lead the way when I see we're in front of a house, and assume everyone's inside. "Zeke and Uri's house," says Four, clarifying because I've never been here before.

Since it's dark, lights from the house shine bright. When we get to the door, it's unlocked, so we just walk in and shut it behind us. I hear voices and follow them to the living room.

"Hey guys, it's about time," says Uriah.

"Sleep well?" smirks Will, oh god Christina's rubbing off on him.

"Ha, ha," I say sarcastically, and take an empty seat next to Shauna. That's when I realize that everybody's on the ground, sitting around the coffee table.

As if reading my thoughts, Shauna says "We were about to play some cards."

"Maybe gamble with some pennies and nickels," says Zeke, earning a deep chuckle from Four.

We end up playing for hours. BS, and even a bit of poker. Yes, with pennies, but let's pretend we're mature.

Eventually, I look at the time and silently curse myself. "Crap, guys I'll be right back. Gotta call Tori to let her know I'm alive." A few of them laugh as I go to another room for some quiet.

After a couple of rings, Tori picks up the phone.

"Tris hun, where are you? It's already dark," she says, sounding a bit frantic.

"I'm fine, I'm at Zeke and Uriah's with Four and everyone." I mentally slap myself. Why the hell did I mention him? So I guess now I involuntarily talk about him. Awesome.

"Four, huh?" Tori's tone instantly changes to suggestive.

I try to cover up whatever hole I just dug. "And Christina, and Marlene, and Shauna, the rest of the guys."

"Mmhmm, okay."

I try to ignore her assumptions, whatever the hell they must be. "Anyways, I was calling to let you know I'm alive, and to ask if I can sleep over."

She says she'll check with Amar, so the phone is quiet for a couple of moments. After a bit, she comes back and begins to explain.

"Sure hun, only thing is… Your uncle and I are going to town tomorrow. We won't be here until late afternoon, but we'll leave a key under the mat for you."

I agree and thank her, and after ending the call, I go back to the living room.

I get back to everyone, and they're still playing penny poker, even after I folded and had my conversation with Tori. Christina's still playing, but she glances up for a second. "Hey Tris, what'd Tori say?"

I smile and sit on the couch, next to her spot on the floor. "She's cool with it. Time to crash."

Almost everyone starts laughing, and I join in too. It feels so good to laugh with friends. These great new friends that I love so dearly already.

We decide to watch a movie before we actually go to sleep, because you know… young adults and staying up all night. Since Zeke and Uriah call dibs on the couches, everyone pretty much lays on some pillows and blankets on the floor. You can guess who ends up next to me. It's ok Tris, you can just ignore him.

Yea, that didn't last long.

It was hard to ignore him when halfway through the movie, he was so close, I almost couldn't breathe.

I was in between Shauna and Four, with Zeke's couch on the other side of Shauna. And on Four's other side were a snuggled up Will and Christina, both asleep. So, Four, trying not to wake the sprawled out couple, was pushed into me.

There was no way I could fall asleep anytime soon.

Later on, when pretty much everyone was sleeping but us, the movie was coming to an end.

Damnit!

We were pushed so close, it was too uncomfortable to sleep. I tried and failed not to inhale his pleasant scent, or enjoy his warmth.

Oh god, I'm in over my head. If he felt the same way, he would not act like he does.

Just then, when the movie's no longer playing, Four shifts to try and sleep. His head is dangerously close to mine, and our hair begins to tangle.

After minutes of tossing and turning, he sighs and turns to face me. "Well this isn't working." He lets out a chuckle and I crack the faintest smile.

"I have an idea," he says. "Since we can't really fit on this tiny little pillow, why don't you just lay your head here," he pats his chest.

I blink a couple of times and wonder if he actually said that.

He clears his throat and says, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward… it's just uncomfortable-"

"-um… okay," I interject quietly. I don't know what came over me. I kept telling myself that it was because I wanted and needed to sleep comfortable, but the back of my mind was saying I just wanted him to hold me. Either way, I gave in.

He looks at me with an unreadable expression, and lifts his arm so I could lay down. I break the gaze and settle my head on his chest. My hand lays by my head, while the other is under me.

His chest is warm and I can hear his heartbeat.

He puts one hand behind his head, while the other lingers in the air for a bit. Realizing the only place to put it is around my shoulder, he gently does so.

We're both pretty tense at first, but as time goes by, we loosen a bit and get comfortable. For the ten thousandth time today, I feel tired.

I fall asleep to the steady rising and falling of his chest.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I just can't get over Fourtris - they're awkward but adorable. Also, let me know what you think! Review so I can get some feedback and head in the right direction.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey everyone, let me know what you think! I hope you're enjoying the story so far...**

I am jolted awake by a pillow being thrown to my head.

"What the hell?" I exclaim, and Four gets a pillow to the face as well.

I sit up and see Zeke standing across the room, eating an apple and holding another pillow.

Four rubs his eyes and sits up too.

"Alright you two lovebirds, get your asses up." He starts walking away, and I attempt to throw a pillow back at him. It hits the wall, but I succeed in waking myself up a bit.

I'm wearing the same shorts as yesterday, so I try not to flash Four when I get up. Still, I walk to the kitchen door where Zeke went, and I turn to see Four watching me.

When I walk into the kitchen, I am met with curious looks, smiles, and even raised eyebrows. The grirls are sitting on the counter, and the guys stand around the kitchen.

"Well, looks like somebody got cozy last night," says Shauna when I get over to the girls. I look over at the guys, who are in their own conversation, as Four walks up to them. He glances at me, but I immediately look away and clear my throat.

"Oh my gosh, you are so into him," says Marlene. Christina adds, "no question."

Great. Now all of them know. "It was just to save space and get some comfortable sleep. Not my fault everyone pushed so close we couldn't breathe," I kinda snap.

"Mhmm, comfortable," Christina teases. I try to hide my smile.

"Well me and Four, it's not going anywhere so can we please talk about something else."

They look at each other, but decide to drop it.

"Oh I know, let's cool off in the pool! It's pretty hot today," proposes Shauna.

I didn't know Zeke and Uriah had a pool. Then again, I've never been to their house before. I notice it's similar to Tori's, but bigger house, less land.

"What about bathing suits?" I ask.

Marlene speaks up, "I keep some in Uri's room for days like this. And Shauna has some in Zeke's room."

"Hey guys, wanna go for a swim?" asks Christina, raising her voice so the guys can hear.

"Hey, sounds good, let's go get some suits on!" they all shout random things.

We go upstairs, and I immediately know I need one of Marlene's swimsuits. Shauna is way too tall and… busty for me to fit in any of her clothes.

After looking through Uri's closet, Marlene hands me a black bikini. I suddenly feel real uncomfortable at how revealing it is. I stare in the mirror at the bathing suit on my body. I should've known. Boobs too small to fit in Marlene's swimsuit.

"Stop staring and get your ass over here," says Christina oh so bluntly.

"This doesn't fit," I explain.

"It looks good on you! What are you talking about?"

I gulp audibly and turn towards her. She gives me a reassuring look, and I grab a cover-up that's also black, but sheer.

When all the girls are ready, we make our way downstairs. We get to the pool, with the guys sprawled out on lounge chairs.

And as per usual, my clumsiness has to get in the way of everything. While distracted by you know who, I trip over the edge of the pool, yelp a horrid sound that I really regret, and fall in.

When I come up they're all laughing at me, and I can't help but start laughing too. Although they don't know the embarrassing reason I fell, I still fell.

Soon after, Zeke, Will, and Shauna jump in. Four smiles at me, and jumps in soon after the others.

After playing tons of pool games and having an epic splash battle, we decide to have a chicken fight. I look around and of course all of the couples pair up, girls on top.

Four looks at me and smiles. "Come on, let's beat their asses," he whispers.

This puts me at ease and I laugh a little.

When he goes underwater, I try not to embarrass myself anymore and get on his shoulders. As he comes back up and I almost lose balance, he grabs my legs to keep me steady.

We both pause for a moment – the skin contact extremely close and sudden. He clears his throat, losens his grip, and we go to join the others.

We all laugh at Uriah failing to hold up Marlene, even though she's the second smallest in the group. You guessed it – I'm the smallest.

Funny because Four's kind of the biggest. Zeke is a bit more muscular (although Four is still very muscular), but Four's the tallest.

We all have fun and push each other and laugh our asses off.

In the end, when Four and I win, he gently puts me down when everyone goes crazy, and we yell in triumph. We jump and high five – well, I did because I'm short – and cheer while the others protest. I just laugh and get up and out of the pool.

I blush when I realize how dangerously close face was with my… butt.

I try not to think about it or I just might freak out.

I walk over to a chair and lie down. I put on some sunglasses and decide to tan for a bit while I dry.

Some time later, I catch a glisten in the corner of my eye. I look and see Four grilling up some hot dogs. I decide to go over, but not before Christina makes a snarky comment about me liking him.

Then there's Marlene's "Go get 'im tiger," earning an eye roll from both me and Shauna. They giggle and I just shake my head and go.

I open the patio screen door and go over to the barbecue. "Hey," I start.

"Hey," he replies with a smile.

"Mmmm, smells good," I stand next to him with my hands on my hips.

"Here," he says as he holds up a piece of hot dog right up to my face.

Out of instinct and because of the close proximity, I tilt my head up and he feeds it to me. "Oh my god," I say in the midst of chewing, "delicious."

He chuckles and stops watching me, and continues to cook. I smile and look down at the food. There really isn't much to say. Just being in his presence makes me content.

Out of the corner of my eye I see him look at me again. "What?" I smile bashfully.

"Nothing. Just that you look beautiful today."

This takes me by surprise and I look up at him in awe. His face is smirking, still looking down at the food.

He's really getting under my skin. Does he like me or not? I clear my throat and I don't really know how to respond.

After a moment of silence, I speak up. "Well the others are getting whiney, so come over when you're done with the food." I smile but it doesn't reach my eyes.

His face falls and I start towards the others. "Hey Tris, you ok?" he asks after I've taken about three steps.

"Mhmm," I respond, just wanting to get back to the patio.

When I do, I am bombarded with questions. "How'd it go?" "What'd he say?"

I look down, "he said I was beautiful."

They just stare out me with their mouths open. I know how it sounds, but I just feel uncomfortable. My heart is constantly inflating, deflating, inflating, deflating. Feelings always jumbled up. I wish I could just stop.

"Tris, that's great!" says Christina.

"But it makes no sense, he doesn't like me-"

"Well maybe he does, Tris."

Impossible. Not even considering it. I've had horrible experience with relationships. When a guy likes me. Four can't like me. Besides, what does he see in me?

I just walk inside and wash my face. It feels very hot not only because of my tomato red face, but also the weather today. The sun is beating down and this city girl is used to a working AC system.

Marlene comes into the kitchen while I'm drying my face off. "Everything ok, Tris?" she asks in a quiet, mellow voice, as if she's afraid I'll start crying or something.

I lean against the kitchen counter. Then I actually do feel like I'm gonna cry. "It's just… it's not that I don't like him, because I do. I really do," I pause and take a deep breath. "I've had bad experience with relationships. I don't wanna get hurt again, Mar."

I just am always in denial and overly cautious, and she obviously sees that this is a touchy subject. She comes over to me and hugs me. She's a bit taller, so I put my face in her shoulder.

I sniffle, and see Christina and Shauna at the patio door. It seems they were listening, and they join in on the hug.

"Well take it from us, Tris. Four is a really good guy, and he is the opposite of a heartbreaker," says Shauna.

Christina adds, "Unless he doesn't like the girl, and that's when girls throw themselves at him. And wear a crap ton of makeup. Honestly, it annoys the hell out of us too."

"Hey Tris, he likes you," says Marlene. "To us who have known him for a while, it's pretty damn obvious. And you make him smile – which has been rare since the thing with his dad."

I sniffle and they release the hug. I smile, "I suppose you're right. At least he won't be like a certain guy I used to know."

I wipe my face again and start towards the patio. "But he doesn't like me," I say as I smile and look back at the girls. They sigh and protest, but I'm already gone.

I start to set the patio table, just some plates and napkins. Four brings the food over, and I try not to act like an idiot. I smile and help put them in the middle of the table. We all sit and enjoy possibly the best hot dogs I've ever had. Ever.

 **A/N: Now I'm craving some hot dogs. Anyone? No? kay. Next chapter will be up at some point. Apologies for my irregular schedule!**


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